PIMSER plays a sustained leadership role in strengthening mathematics and science education across Kentucky by partnering with state agencies, professional organizations, and policymakers. Through these partnerships, PIMSER helps shape instructional vision, supports statewide initiatives, and amplifies educator expertise to drive long-term improvement.
Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) Partnership
PIMSER has maintained a long-standing partnership with the Kentucky Department of Education, supporting statewide instructional initiatives in both mathematics and science. Over the years, PIMSER Master Teachers have played key leadership roles in major state efforts, including mathematics and science standards implementation, assessment literacy, and large-scale professional learning initiatives such as Numeracy Counts.
PIMSER Master Teachers are regularly called upon by KDE to:
- Serve on state assessment development teams
- Participate in standards revision and rollout efforts
- Act as consultants for KDE and local educational cooperatives
- Support statewide instructional and assessment initiatives
Through this work, KDE capitalizes on the deep classroom expertise of PIMSER Master Teachers—ensuring that state policy and professional learning remain grounded in authentic instructional practice.
Master Teachers as Statewide Leaders
PIMSER’s Master Teachers form a critical infrastructure of instructional leadership across Kentucky. Each Master Teacher has completed 1,000+ hours of sustained training and support through PIMSER partnership projects, supported by more than $2.2 million in National Science Foundation funding.
These highly skilled current and retired Kentucky educators:
- Plan and deliver PIMSER professional learning statewide
- Support districts through coaching, facilitation, and instructional design
- Contribute to nationally recognized, research-based educational practices
- Demonstrate a proven impact on student learning and achievement
Their work strengthens instruction not only locally, but across the Commonwealth.
Relationships with Educational Experts
PIMSER has cultivated long-term intellectual partnerships with nationally and internationally recognized education experts in mathematics, science, assessment, and instructional leadership, including:
- Dr. Harvey Silver (Thoughtful Education)
- Drs. Richard Stiggins and Jan Chappuis (Classroom Assessment for Student Learning)
- Dr. Shirley Clarke (Outstanding Classroom Assessment)
These collaborations have resulted in national and international publications that explicitly credit the contributions of PIMSER Master Teachers and Kentucky educators. Through PIMSER-hosted projects and conferences, teachers—particularly in rural areas—have gained access to leading research and best practices that might otherwise be unavailable.
Kentucky Science Teachers Association (KSTA)
PIMSER maintains a strong leadership presence within the Kentucky Science Teachers Association. PIMSER personnel and Master Teachers consistently offer multiple sessions each year at the KSTA Annual Conference, sharing classroom-tested strategies, research-based practices, and emerging state and national resources.
Through this partnership, PIMSER helps:
- Elevate teacher voice and leadership within the state
- Disseminate high-quality instructional resources
- Connect Kentucky science educators to state and national networks
Statewide Math-Science Partnership (MSP) Projects
Over multiple years, PIMSER has led and supported numerous statewide and regional Math-Science Partnership (MSP) projects, impacting districts across a wide geographic spectrum of Kentucky. These long-term projects have involved:
- Dozens of school districts and counties
- Hundreds of teachers, administrators, and instructional leaders
- Multi-year federal and foundation funding
The goal of these initiatives has consistently been to strengthen instructional practice, deepen content knowledge, and build leadership capacity—particularly in rural and underserved communities.
Voices from Across Kentucky
Educators and leaders across the state consistently cite PIMSER’s work as transformative:
“Our partnership with PIMSER has been invaluable in driving the successful implementation of high-quality instructional resources across our district… The impact has been profound.”
— Brandy Carver, Assistant Superintendent, Rowan County Schools
“The Patient Problem Solving PD changed my teaching life… Many of my lower ability students raised their iReady scores by 2–3 years.”
— Melissa Prichard, Pulaski Elementary
“Our Algebra 2 EOC scores increased by 6.1%, and ACT composite scores rose from 18.5 to 19.2 after working with PIMSER.”
— Maggie Doyle, Clark County High School
“PIMSER is my educational leadership ‘think tank’—where I see current research put into practice.”
— Tim Schneider, Campbell County Schools (Ret.)
These reflections illustrate PIMSER’s statewide impact on teaching practice, instructional leadership, and student outcomes.
Statewide Impact: Senate Bill 1 Support
PIMSER created the original statewide network model used to support the rollout of Kentucky Senate Bill 1. As part of this effort, PIMSER:
- Introduced Classroom Assessment for Student Learning as a foundational resource
- Facilitated statewide assessment training for all Kentucky school districts
- Designed and led the Instructional Leadership Support Network, training over 550 instructional leaders from every district in the Commonwealth
This work established a shared instructional vision and a sustainable infrastructure to support statewide reform.